The present disclosure relates in general to fuel cell power plants, and more particularly, to a system and method for operating a fuel cell power plant to reduce emissions.
Fuel cell power plants are becoming popular for a variety of applications including stationary power plants. Fuel cell power plants may utilize a reformer for converting a hydrocarbon fuel source into a gaseous hydrogen rich fuel that is fed to a fuel cell along with an oxidant such as air to produce usable electricity and heat via an electrochemical reaction. Multiple fuel cells are typically stacked together in a repeating fashion to form a cell stack assembly (“CSA”) for increasing the overall energy output of the power plant. This stacked arrangement requires numerous junctions and manifolds that are sealed for containing and directing fuel through the CSA and other fuel bearing components. Unfortunately, these seals tend to deteriorate over time leading to leakage of fuel into the environment surrounding the fuel cell power plant. Some constituents of the fuel are greenhouse gasses and/or substances which may be harmful for the environment if reaching excessive levels, and it is therefore desirous to minimize their emission for environmental soundness and to meet governmental standards over the entire life of the power plant.